Forensic Toxicologist
Kathleen Mazek
Kathleen Mazek is a Senior Crime Laboratory Analyst at the Orlando Regional Operations Center
for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. She has worked in the Toxicology section for
over 13 years providing analytical testing in blood alcohol, blood drug, and urine drug analysis.
Kathleen has a passion for sharing her knowledge with jurors, attorneys, and fellow scientists.
She has been a principal instructor at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement since 2013 and has
served on several additional training committees through the state system.
Additionally, Kathleen Mazek has been involved in laboratory quality control.
She has served as a member of the Toxicology Quality Assurance committee since 2012.
Additionally, she has conducted numerous laboratory audits and served as Lead Auditor for 5 consecutive years.
Kathleen served as Technical Leader for FDLE Toxicology for over 2 years and is currently an ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Technical Assessor for ANSI National Accreditation Board.
Certificates
Testimonials (Click here to download more testimonials)
I could not have been more impressed with Ms. Mazek. Her subject matter knowledge and preciseness in answering questions was amazing. She was also the best witness at speaking with the jury that I have ever worked with.
Ms. Mazek was an outstanding witness. She provided a professional, detailed, and understandable presentation. Her jury presence was wonderful (she spoke "with" the jurors rather than speaking at them, maintained confident eye contact, and made substances like cocaethylene understandable and relate-able to the jury). All in all, she was an invaluable asset to the State (even though she truthfully presented some evidence adverse to my case... she showed that she was truly a impartial professional)!
She is an excellent representation of professionalism and poise while testifying. Her answers are thorough and, although scientific in nature, she is able to explain her answers to the jury in terms that are easy to understand.
Ms. Mazek provided a thorough and clear presentation of her analysis and opinion.
During cross, the defense attorney was less than professional with Ms. Mazek and his quesitons were very redundant. Ms. Mazek remained the consummate professional throughout both direct and cross and was able to explain the procedure and results in a way that the jury could understand.
Toxicology Forensic Services Seminar
The Forensic Services Seminar is a course provided to contributors to teach them what services FDLE offers, what types of evidence are acceptable, what testing is performed, and what information is helpful in working a toxicology case. This is just one of many presentations that I have given on Forensic Toxicology.
Projects
Stability Study
This study was conducted by order of a judge. A court challenge was made regarding the storage and long term use of certified reference materials in the Toxicology section. A six month study was designed to track the concentration of certified reference material in a sealed and refrigerated condition. The results of the study showed no integrity loss over the six month period.
Duct Tape Project Guide
This guide was made to assist Forensic Technologists while working on the Trace Materials Duct Tape Project. This project cataloged various duct tapes from multiple manufacturers each year. It required FT's to categorize how the tape was manufactured, fiber composition and fluorescence, and weave patterns. Although I was trained on each portion of the project, I took it upon myself to make this guide.
Rejection Matrix
During preparations for the 2019 ANAB Assessment, the Toxicology section was introduced to new requirements for rejecting data. Many important questions were raised as to what warranted a rejection and how and where the rejection was to be documented. To clarify the new practice and maintain consistency within Toxicology, a guide was produced to guide analysts in what they should consider when rejecting data. The guide was presented at a discipline wide meeting where each scenario was discussed.
Witness Credibility
This was a case in which I had performed analysis on a blood specimen and testified to my findings in court. A motion was filed for post-conviction relief citing ineffective counsel. One part of the motion specifically addressed that no defense expert was hired to contest my results. During the hearing, I had the opportunity to be cross-examined by the defense, address concerns that were brought up by their defense expert, and explain FDLE's quality control procedures. The order states, "this Court also finds Mazek's testimony more credible than Arvizu, and thus, any attack on the FDLE procedures would be unfounded (pg. 18)."
